


Perseverance of the Spirit

by Celeastral



Series: The World We Left Behind [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, POV Multiple, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Science Fiction, Suspense, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29779572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celeastral/pseuds/Celeastral
Summary: Betrayal. Loss. Lies. Truth. The basis of their existence questioned, their beliefs in themselves tested. They cast aside hope and despair to forge their own path forward, as K1-B0 fought the audience who desired to crush his will, finally sacrificing himself to give his friends one last chance. Now that the end of Danganronpa is at hand, Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko wonder about their fate in the outside world beyond.
Relationships: Harukawa Maki & Saihara Shuichi & Yumeno Himiko
Series: The World We Left Behind [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188740
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. End of the Line?

Staking a claim to their disbelief, the blue sky streamed in from the hole, bearing a haze of radiance. In exchange, no sign of their former friend remained from his self-destruction, and she couldn’t help but sigh and grimace at that fact. A sacrifice…

Great clouds of dust emanated from the pile of rubble scattered below, as its fragments crumbled further into tinier pieces. New clinking movements caught their eyes as hairline cracks trailing from the hole pulled apart, one leaving a wide jagged line down to the debris. Luckily, the dome still seemed strong enough to hold itself up.

It promised something called hope, but she knew better than to indulge in those fantasies, not until they found concrete proof of it. That is, if it even existed. Besides, there wasn’t any evidence that the outside world would be friendly at all. Forget about whatever Tsumugi said, her words would only hold them back. Her hope wasn’t their hope.

Yet, for the first time in a long while, a small smile spread across Maki’s face. It was a rather foreign sensation, comparable to those emotions like _kindness, love,_ and _appreciation,_ which she never had much experience with. She looked over to her friends, who were still taking in the spectacle.

“Hey. We shouldn’t dwell on our memories too much…” She walked away from them, looking toward the crack in the dome.

“It’s what we wanted, isn’t it?” Shuichi said. “We’ll see our own stories to the end, fiction or not.”

“Right, there’s no giving up now!” Himiko said.

Maki’s eyes lingered on the dormitory, the school hall, and all the other now-destroyed places they had stayed in for the past days of their imprisonment. “Let’s see if we can salvage some supplies. We might need disguises too.”

With the door lying on the ground in chunks, they entered the former main hall. Some debris poked out of the piles of disintegrated tiles, and light shone through the holes in the ceiling, illuminating the dust floating in the air. They climbed over a fallen beam and made their haphazard way to the dining hall. Shuichi located a bag, and they stuffed whatever edible things they found into it.

“I don’t think we should stay here too long. Where to?” he said, before taking a drink out of a water bottle.

“Himiko, do you have anything that we could use to disguise ourselves? My lab is probably destroyed,” Maki said.

“Hmm, there are a few hats and capes, but you’d look funny in them, cuz they’re too big or too small. I don’t think my lab has anything useful. Sorry.”

“We could check Tsumugi’s lab,” Shuichi said. “Assuming the core structure is still safe enough.”

“That’s a stretch.” She decided to go along with that. It could mean the difference between identification on sight and slipping out.

They ate a quick snack on the way to the stairs, but there wasn’t any time to stop, knowing their circumstances. Sprinting up them, they rediscovered a void in the hallway to their right.

“There’s another way around on the other side,” he said. “That’s what we used before.”

Except there wasn’t. A length of rebar hung over the pile of concrete slabs and boulders. Slight groaning sounds emanated from it, causing Shuichi and Himiko to wince. Around them, the constant cracking of stone reminded them that this place was falling apart. It definitely wasn’t possible to lift that amount of rubble out of the way. It would be pointless to try.

“Well, guess we have no choice then,” Maki said. “Sneaking around it is.”

After bolting across the school’s courtyard, they finally reached the crack in the wall. She averted her eyes from the blazing reflections of the glass, scaling up the rubble first. Giving Shuichi and Himiko a hand, with some struggle they escaped to the other side, though not without a few minor scrapes. But this wasn’t the time to be concerned about that. Not until they were all safe.

A field of concrete stretched out before them as a mass of tall buildings smattered with Team Danganronpa signs dotted the landscape, signaling their freedom…? A city. Which one? What day was it? It couldn’t have been that long… What happened since their imprisonment? What happened to the orphanage? Her heart stopped and she shuddered at that last thought, though the memory probably wasn’t real.

“Maki, is there something wrong?” Shuichi asked.

“N-nothing. Let’s keep going.” What was real and what was fake? Her talent might be a fake persona, but it proved useful. She was herself. Not some figment of Tsumugi’s imagination. Her feelings were her feelings.

“If you say so.”

They crossed the field and headed down the street, noting the fact there was no one around but dirt, dust, and discarded trash. A truck caked with grime sat on a deserted parking lot, its wheels deflated. At last, they found a row of storefronts, most of which seemed open from the outside.

She didn’t feel like talking to a stranger. “You guys go in and ask for information. If they recognize you, we’re running. I’ll keep watch in case of danger.”

“Come in with us.” Shuichi gestured at the door.

“No.”

“Nyeh, what if you get kidnapped or something?”

“Do you want to die?” Pfft, as if she was that easy to capture. Was she purposefully being an idiot?

Himiko rolled her eyes. “Now you’re asking to be the danger. If anything gets weird, don’t stay out there, come inside.”

Maki glared daggers at her, but Himiko gave an annoyed huff and pulled on Shuichi’s sleeve. They opened the door and headed into the store. Knick-knacks, antiques, and other useless objects decorated its window displays.

Leaning back on a wall, she listened for telltale noises. It had been a long time since she was alone. Even if she liked their company, she wasn’t used to the constant presence of another person, never mind two.

Despite it being sometime in the afternoon, it was strange how there weren’t any people, only a blanket of quiet. Not the kind of quiet with ambient noise, true quiet. Even if they were on the outskirts of the city, there were usually some people around and activity from farther in. Maybe she was right to stand guard, especially if this place was known to be dangerous.

* * *

Anyway, they didn’t have any money on them, and that was their biggest problem right now. She could break into a closed shop, but her friends would try to stop her. There weren’t any other options, so unless Himiko could summon up actual money, it would be necessary. Besides, why were those two taking so long? It wouldn’t take that much time to ask a few questions and get an answer.

Maki sighed and went inside. What were they up to? Did they get into some long conversation with the owner?

“What’s taking you—”

The stark emptiness of the store stood out against the sickly yellow light that bathed it. Shuichi and Himiko were nowhere to be found. Frowning, Maki looked around for evidence of a fight, finding none. No, there couldn’t have been a fight, otherwise she would’ve heard it. The inventory in the cases seemed untouched too. They had to be here somewhere.

“Shuichi! Himiko! Where are you two?” Maki yelled. Shuichi stumbled out of a closed door in the back, and she hurried over to him. “Did anything happen? Are you alright?”

“Wait, wait, sorry for making you worry. There wasn’t anyone manning the store, so Himiko and I decided to investigate what happened. You should come into the back room.”

“What did you find?”

Shuichi returned to the room, her following behind. “Not much. It was like the owner vanished. There’s a computer at least. I’ve been getting a weird feeling ever since we walked onto this street. I asked Himiko about it and she said she felt the same too. What about you?”

“It was strange how there was nobody around outside. Do you think Tsumugi was lying? This can’t be the outside world.”

“I’m… not sure. Those Team Danganronpa advertisements…”

More antiques cluttered the half-lit back room. The blue light of an old laptop shone on Himiko’s face. Maki suspected it to be some sort of news site as she got closer. But everything about it was wrong.

“Is there anything about current events?” she asked, hoping this was just a prank.

“Ugh, it’s like everything has been taken over by Team Danganronpa stuff! There’s nothing useful at all!”

Remembering that thought from earlier, Maki searched for a deposit box, anything that could have money in it. Her nose wrinkled at the musty smell arising from the newly open cabinets and drawers. Finally, after a few minutes, she found a hidden box built into a desk cabinet. With a good sum of money inside, they wouldn’t need to worry until they figured out this place, unless…

“No luck…” Himiko said.

A tall shadow fell over them, accompanied by hissing. The form melted out of the darkness, claws dripping with smoke. Its long neck moved towards them as it creeped over the floor tiles.

Maki whipped around, finding Himiko and Shuichi frozen. She grabbed them and ran as fast as she could out of the place, she didn’t care if they got cuts and bruises, they would escape with their lives, it would not end here, if that thing was real, they weren’t sticking around to find out.

* * *

“What the hell was that?” Shuichi asked, catching his breath outside in a narrow alleyway. He was trembling, probably unable to comprehend what happened.

“I don’t know.” A shiver ran down her body from that mental image, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. She twirled some of her hair around her fingers. Not much scared her, but…

“I wish I had enough mana,” Himiko mumbled from under her hat. “Then I would make it disappear.”

“We need to find somewhere safe before it’s nighttime,” Shuichi said. “I don’t want to be caught out here.”

“Then let’s not wait.”

They edged out of the alley, gazing out beyond the unfamiliar buildings. Certain that the way was clear, they began exploring the streets. Maki glimpsed some movement in the distance and pounded down the pavement.

“Hey! Slow down!”

As she drew closer to the figure, her unease grew. Why weren’t they turning around? Their back looked normal, although their clothes seemed a little disheveled. She stopped around forty feet from them, hand ready to grab a knife.

The façade disintegrated, the former image of the person floating away in little specks. It babbled a stream of unintelligible sounds. A malevolent force swirled around it, lashing out at her with long, stringy arms. Jumping away in time, she used the momentum to break into a run, fighting the part of her mind that told her to abandon everything and preserve herself. Stupid relic of the past.

Maki aimed to lure it away from her friends.

That first one couldn’t move through walls, and assuming this thing was the same, she would regroup with them once she lost it. Throwing a brief glance back, she frowned, finding it a great distance away from her. Its form dragged itself across the concrete. Why was it like that? In any case, she needed an alleyway with two definite entrances. There!

Now came the hard part. The form came after her, almost too slow to pose any threat, yet this imposed a sense of creeping death. She couldn’t fight it, and she didn’t want to know what would happen if she touched it. What a fool she had been to chase after it, thinking it was a real person. Maki pushed those thoughts away. They only served to distract her.

Waiting until it was at the perfect spot between near and far, Maki sprinted out the other entrance, doubling back to where she left Himiko and Shuichi beforehand, a few minutes ago.

To her relief, they were both leaning against a wall, Shuichi trying to comfort Himiko. “Um, I’m sure she’ll come back… she wouldn’t abandon us.” He held her shoulder and bowed his head, looking at the ground.

“What kind of idiocy is that to just run off and leave us alone!? We’re supposed to stick together! It doesn’t help that we’re in a place we know nothing about!”

Seeing them like that made her grimace. Why didn’t she think it through? Why did she do that? Why didn’t she talk with them first before going after it? Did she have to be so impulsive? She could’ve died, and they’d know nothing about what happened! But what was done was done.

Her shoulders slumped as she made her way back to them. Maki avoided their eyes. “You guys can yell at me all you want. I’m ready for it. I’m sorry.”

Himiko stared at her with a mixture of surprise and relief, then leaped to give her a hug. “Don’t make us worry like that ever again. I knew you’d be okay. But that was a stupid action to take and you know it.”

Maki stiffened at the touch, slowly returning it. No, she didn’t deserve a hug at all. Himiko might take it back anyway, after hearing the news. That was fine.

“We tried to run after you, but you were too fast,” Shuichi said. “Tell us what you’re going to do next time. Err, did you find any clues? Was that person real?”

She tried to not think of its exact image while finding a way to describe it, drawing a sharp breath and then exhaling. “It wasn’t a person. It was another kind of that monster we fled from earlier.”

Their shocked faces were all she needed to brace herself for their reactions. And whatever she had coming from them, she would take it.

“Does… this mean there’s nowhere safe?” Shuichi flattened himself against the wall, eyes darting about. “What happened to the people in this city?”

Himiko slapped her twice. “That’s what you deserve! I’m disappointed in you!”

Her cheek stung. “There’s a detail I left out. It was saying words, but they didn’t make sense.”

“Creepy… What does it mean…?” Himiko glanced at either of them again and again, wanting an answer, but truthfully, she didn’t have one.

They stood there in silence for a stretch of time, Maki clenching her fists and unclenching them. “We can’t just stand here. I’d rather go down fighting than doing nothing.”

“I’m scared…” Himiko glared at the ground. “But I can’t let it get to me, as Tenko said.”

“I don’t want to admit it, but me too,” Shuichi said. “I think we all are.”

She neither wanted to confirm or deny her own fear to them. If they knew she was scared for real too, then it would drag everyone down. It would be easier for them to slip into despair; that was the worst possible scenario, however bleak the odds seemed now.

Maki turned on her heel, beckoning them to come along. “Come on. There’s no time to waste.”

Crossing over into the next block, the dim storefronts continued down their path until the end of it. Cars sat empty along the sidewalk, though she wasn’t sure if they could get keys for them, or if they were even driveable. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted those shadowy figures moving about in a building lobby. She tensed up, but relaxed when they seemed to not notice them.

The lobby was dark, but the day was still bright enough that it lit up the interior. An array of blue sofas were arranged around a few tables, and the small main desk sat a distance away from them. Across from the main desk were elevators, and she assumed the doors next to them led to the staircase.

“We should check if this place is safe,” Shuichi said. “Don’t go too far, let’s not split up in case something happens.”

He peered at the sofas. “Hmm, there’s no dust on them at all. That means the place had to have been abandoned recently. I don’t think those monsters can clean either.”

“I’ll check the elevators… wait, they’re still working!” Himiko said as the dull ding caused them to jump. The doors slid open, and the grey metal walls were lit up.

Maki shook her head. “Elevators are too risky. Stairs only.”

“I don’t think there’s anything dangerous here. I poked in the darker areas, but nothing came out, thankfully.” Shuichi showed a note to them. “I found this on the desk, though.”

“What’s that about?” Himiko asked.

“It’s not too important, but at the same time, it’s rather out of place. Whoever wrote this note lost an axe and is trying to find it.”

“It might not be strange at all. They could be a martial arts practitioner.” Maki crossed her arms. “Wait a minute, that note doesn’t have anything on it. You aren’t messing with us right?”

“No…why would I? What Japanese martial art uses axes, though?”

“I don’t see it either, but I believe Shuichi,” Himiko said. “It’s irrational, but it might be a clue.”

Maki frowned and glanced downward. Was Shuichi hallucinating? Were they slowly going crazy? Fine, she’ll answer his question. “Almost none of them. They’re good as an improvised weapon, but even I never used them before, if my memories are real. They’re suspicious and messy.”

* * *

“We’ve seen everything in the lobby. Shouldn’t we explore the upper floors now?” Himiko asked.

Shuichi nodded, and they walked up the creaking stairs to the first floor. With no visible light switches, they treaded carefully through the pitch-black hallways, safety growing more distant by the second. The silence broke only with the sound of their own breathing.

Maki tensed up with every step, expecting a monster to slip from the shadows once more. They entered the closest room, finding it relatively untouched. She fumbled around for the switch, and to her relief, the lights flickered on. Shuichi closed the door behind them.

There were two large beds, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, a desk, and a couch with a coffee table. Nothing jumped out at them. She sighed as she sat down on the couch, while Shuichi went to the bathroom. Himiko joined her.

“There’s nothing I like about this situation. I don’t understand it.” Maki said, almost as if to herself. She leaned forward and cupped her face in her hands. “It’s not straightforward… Nothing is…”

Up until now, she kept her emotions in check, but now they pressed her like an executioner’s blade, her mental dam barely holding them from surging out onto her hapless victim. What would he say if he were here with them? Something stupid, but uplifting, she supposed. 

Again, she saw Kaito’s stupid face with that insolent smile, her apathetic first reaction to training together, to the rage and worry when he coughed blood, wanting to curse his illness, that idiotic plan in the hangar she made because she didn’t consider, didn’t think, didn’t wait. Her falling back on her old methods when she swore she’d change.

“I can tell you’re trying to hold on, but don’t make the same mistake I made at the start,” Himiko said. “That makes you go nowhere. Tenko told me to open up, even if I was afraid.”

She found hope at the end, but that hope disappeared into fear, fear that now sapped her strength. It all happened so quickly. But she couldn’t show it, not to Shuichi or Himiko, even though she was right next to her. Maki swallowed, trying to shove it down as she did those fateful years ago.

So much felt like her fault, but so much wasn’t. There wasn’t anything she could do. She was useless. Useless. The worst word in existence, but it now perfectly described her. 

Maki’s body shook as she fought to hold back tears, but her resolve broke. 

Her promise to Kaito. 

Broken.

Himiko listened to her crying for a moment before trying to give her a hug. She flinched at the touch, causing her to draw her arms back. “Sorry…”

Shuichi rushed over. “Maki—”

“Leave her alone.”

“Just—just stay with me,” Maki gasped out. “But I don’t want your pity.”

Shuichi and Himiko were real, damn it. She wasn’t alone like in the old days. They needed her; she needed them. Feeling useless shouldn’t have meant anything, except that she needed to exert more effort into ending their problems. But the burden was on them too. They would, no, must, become a solid foundation together.

Her tears soon subsided, and she took a deep breath, letting it out. An emptiness filled her, but it was the good kind of emptiness. The relieving kind, not the… she shouldn’t think of it. That leaden thought would weigh her down when she was already on the floor and trying to rise up again.

Maki folded her hands on her lap, still looking downward, but ready to talk. “Everything has been too overwhelming. I’m not used to being this emotional. In a sense, it’s freeing, strangely. But crying won’t make this situation any better.”

Shuichi sat down beside them. “I understand. Let’s take one step at a time. You don’t need to talk about everything that’s bothering you, but if something is of serious concern, then let us know, okay? We’ll do the same.”

“We’re all fragile in some way. I learned that back there.” Himiko sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, her hands curled into fists. “I never had the chance to give Tenko my real feelings. And Angie…”

Maki nodded in response, lifting her head to see their concerned faces. “I suppose it’s better to feel something than nothing at all.”

“Anyway, since we aren’t in danger right now, we should think about what we came across so far. I’ll never give up, I’m here for the sake of my friends!”

Her optimism was most likely a front, but where did she get all that energy from in the first place? When would it all collapse? Not that she would wish it to, because Himiko tried hard, and she respected that.

“We should recount our stories from the start,” Shuichi said. “One of you might’ve noticed something I didn’t, and vice versa.”

Maki explained her perspective to them first, with emphasis on the encounter with the fake person.

“So, I’m lost as to how we can get out of here.” She reached over and grabbed that bag with the money, taking the contents out. “I don’t believe we’ll be needing this.”

“Nyeh, I came to that conclusion too. It’s okay that we left the computer behind. I don’t think we could’ve gotten anything out of it.”

“You said that the person you went after transformed into one of those monsters, right? So the people got turned into those things, but they might be able to retain their forms,” Shuichi said.

Maki smacked her fist into her hand. “And they act the same, except when we’re nearby, at which point they chase us. Yes, but why are they like that? Could it be Team Danganronpa who is using them to kill us as revenge for killing Tsumugi and their game?”

Shuichi’s brow furrowed, while Himiko shivered. “Not again… I don’t want it…”

“I may be being hypocritical, but the best thing to do is to suck it up and accept it.”

“I-I already said I’ll try to.” Himiko pouted at her words and poked her.

“What I’m going to say might sound crazy, but this place might be where the monsters were placed to keep rescuers out, and ourselves in,” Shuichi said.

“That’s plausible. So you think we aren’t in the outside world either,” Maki said.

“It’s my turn, I suppose. When Himiko and I were in the store’s backroom, we found the laptop, which had no battery left. After some searching, we found the charger, and I told her to look for information. I was searching the shop for any recent information, but the scraps of paper I found were all written in gibberish and didn’t make sense at all.”

“I remember Harumaki said the fake person spoke nonsense too,” Himiko said, earning her a fleeting glare from her, though she sighed internally. Guess it was far too late to stop her from using the nickname.

“Oh right, then there might be a link between the two. I don’t know how though…”

“Ah! I forgot about this!” Himiko held up a lighter. “I found it on the ground. I don’t have anything else, but it could help.”

“We could use it for light. You keep it.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s quite late in the afternoon, I think. Are any of you hungry?” Shuichi said. “Himiko, is it okay if we talk about your perspective later?”

“Yeah, that’s okay. When I’m ready.”

Maki brushed her hair behind her as she stood up. “I’ll check the kitchen. If there’s nothing there, then we’ll have to go through Shuichi’s bag.”

She stared at the contents. Not really sure what she was expecting, but the refrigerator was fully stocked… with some of the stuff she liked? What? Why would it be like this? This place kept getting crazier by the minute. Were her tastes even her own?

Tearing her attention away, she turned to the entrance of the kitchen. “Get over here.”

Footsteps pattered on the floor as they ran over. “Just look.”

Shuichi peered into the refrigerator, then moved to open the cabinets and drawers. “Well, if anything, that probably shows we really haven’t left the academy. It was Monokuma that provided all of the supplies… I hope no one’s watching us.”

“Nah, that was totally my magic. I brought all the nice things here.”

If for one thing, that was what annoyed her about Himiko. Insisting so much on magic, and attributing everything to it… even if it was what all magicians did, why couldn’t she put away the damn act sometimes? Wait, was she actually joking this time?

Shuichi opened the refrigerator, took out a small bowl of soft-boiled eggs, and turned to close it.

“Nyehhh, I want some _onigiri_ now.”

“Ah!” Shuichi said. A plate of _onigiri_ wrapped in cling wrap appeared on the shelf where the bowl of eggs had been.

“That didn’t happen when Monokuma was around.” Maybe she should try it out herself. What was something she wanted right now? Screw it, bubble tea time.

Himiko took the plate. “That was obviously my magic. And I didn’t do anything, I just thought about it—”

A cup of fresh bubble tea blinked into existence, and she fell into silence for a moment. “Aww, it doesn’t work anymore. Anyway, I don’t wanna make a mess here, so I’m going to the table.”

Shuichi and Maki took some more food, utensils, and napkins, then followed. The food didn’t seem weird even though it appeared out of thin air, and it probably wasn’t poisoned, so she decided to trust it. If they wanted hot food, then they would have to cook it themselves.

“I think we should make this place home base since we have everything here.” Shuichi placed his hand on his chin. “We need more clues first, but we can’t discover them if we don’t have a safe place to return to.”

“The room doesn’t have a lock. Normally these rooms would have a card key or a real key, right? What if this is a trap? What if we let our guard down and something happens?” Maki asked. Sure, they hadn’t been attacked for some time, and all their needs were taken care of, but obviously, it seemed too good to be true for such a random location.

Himiko swallowed the last bite of her _onigiri_. “Mmm, that was pretty good, but not Kirumi’s level of good. I like it here, it’s not like we have any other place to go… Besides, we can make a plan against that. Like taking shifts to sleep.”

“Guess I don’t have a choice then. But you’re right, Himiko. May I have one?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw the glimmer of a possibility, a new path. Let’s follow it to the end! Thanks to all of the people, particularly music artists, who have influenced me on this endeavor. This fic updates on Saturdays!
> 
> The name was chosen long before the news of the Perseverance rover landing. It has the other rover, Spirit in its name, which is funny to me. Instead, it was influenced by the album name, The Sound of Perseverance. Some cool trivia!
> 
> “The Kingdom is Ours, Imagination Never Fails!” ~ Erang
> 
> Link to cover art: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LNK-QxhLf82wU6hk673vis3lfjlKKBDr/view?usp=sharing
> 
> With no title: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xmAb_PM-0MQKqiJTBGgpfy0pQHP7BnFk/view?usp=sharing


	2. Border of Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysteries continue to pile on.

Yeah, it was cold food, but at least they had it. There wasn’t anything special about it and it was decent by her standards, which weren’t high at all. But, after another plate, she was stuffed. A nap would be nice, cuz even though the food was physical energy, her mana was fading away from it. It was really tempting… no, not yet.

Nyeh, her experience was too different. All of them, including her, already said that everything here was weird, but that just was the reality of this new world. What counted as weird anymore? With such a magical atmosphere, maybe they were the strange ones in this place. But it reeked of dark magic, and she couldn’t tolerate that.

They would get to the bottom of this, for the sake of their friends and the other people they once knew! Somehow…

“No, sorry.” Maki pushed her plate to the side. “I haven’t been able to read much, you know.”

“That’s alright, I hope I can introduce it to you two someday. It’s a great series. A favorite of mine even.”

“—Ah-ha, I’ve heard of it, but haven’t gotten around to reading it, even though I really love fantasy.” Himiko remembered what she was going to say before being lost in her thoughts.

“Then that leaves Maki as the unenlightened one, eh?” Shuichi chuckled, while Maki rolled her eyes.

Himiko managed a smile. “Shuichi, Maki, I need to talk about earlier. Listen to me carefully, okay?”

“Of course, what’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Remember when we were talking about the stuff you saw? Everything was different for me.”

His mouth dropped open. “W-What do you mean? You were with me the whole time, weren’t you?”

“Yeah— but the monster— mannequin that came out of the dark.” Shivers ran down her spine as she remembered its blank eyes and the leering smile on its face, the effortless stride as those outstretched arms reached toward them, her wanting to move but feeling like she was bolted to the ground. Then Maki. A weighted gasp that floated away with the tension when she realized she wasn’t there anymore. “Maki... thank you for saving us.”

Shuichi patted her shoulder while she was thinking all of that.

“I did what I needed to do.”

“Ah, I forgot to say it earlier too. Thank you.”

Maki sighed. “Look, don’t worry about it, both of you. What else was different?”

“Uhh… there were random creepy lights floating around. I didn’t want to tell in case we panicked. Also, I could see the stars clearly even though it was daytime.”

“Before, I would’ve thought you were joking or going on about occult things. Well, I have to believe it now.” Maki scoffed, then turned her head towards Shuichi. “You’re the detective. What do you think?”

“Hmm, since the evidence points to everything being based on our own perception, there’s probably a connection there between every event. I suspect it has something to do with our mental states and memories.”

“So you’re saying everything is from our subconscious?”

“Well yeah, assuming it’s not a ruse from Team Danganronpa.”

Maki’s lips curled into a snarl at the mention of them. Himiko silently agreed. The biggest liars of them all, even more than Kokichi was. They caused the killing game to exist in the first place, and she would never forgive them for that.

“I wanna be sure though, that this is our minds overlapping,” Himiko said. “We’ll look for more clues tomorrow morning, is that good? Like if it’s our minds, then it’s gotta get weirder than this!”

“Maybe. I think that’s what we were going to do anyway. Who knows what we’ll find out there?” Shuichi peeked out the smudged window. “It’s still bright out there, but we should stay inside until morning. Are both of you up for exploring the rest of the place?” 

“Well yeah, I’m bored. Let’s see if there’s anything interesting around here.” Himiko took a deck of cards from her jacket, slid the cards in a fan across the table, put them back into a stack, and repeatedly shuffled them. Boredom wasn’t the real reason, it was more like she had nervous energy even after the trials and that run through the city. “It sucks that I don’t even feel like doing stuff with these.”

Maki shook her head. “I’d rather rest, but we have to stay together. I have to admit I’m a little curious though. I’ll go wash these.” She went to the kitchen with their empty plates, leaving Shuichi and Himiko at the table.

* * *

“I think we have about one or two hours before it’ll be the evening,” Shuichi reached to turn the doorknob, flashlight in hand. “Good thing this was in the drawer.”

“Let’s see if we find any more useful items.” Maki headed out the door after him.

“Mm-hmm, even if we can conjure up the things we need, it’s not at-will magic, there are limitations!”

They faced the dim hallway, the floor illuminated by the steady beam. It wasn’t so scary anymore, but she wasn’t sure why. Did it have something to do with a slight feeling of newfound familiarity? Or maybe they calmed down from before? Maybe she had a better grasp on her magic which made her more comfortable? Himiko shrugged a little.

Oops, it was a movement that didn’t go unnoticed by Maki. She whispered, “I’ll keep watch in the back.”

No problem there. They advanced down the hall, the floor creaking with each odd step. The light jumped along the way, leaving neutral darkness behind them. Shuichi wasn’t shaking too much, which was good. At last, they reached the next door down and he hesitantly pushed the door open. It was untouched, like the room they occupied.

Shuichi shone his flashlight up and down, sweeping it across the room. Nothing strange popped out, like last time. No smell, unlike anyone would expect. She reached for the lights and flipped them on. He nodded at her, mouthing a “thanks,” and the flashlight clicked off.

Maki glanced in from the hallway with a solemn expression, then turned back to her temporary guard post. It kinda felt like their roles were defined now. Shuichi and her were the searchers, while Maki was the guard. Yeah, that made sense.

She opened the cabinets that Shuichi wasn’t working on, checking inside them. It was full of towels and other assorted items like that. For some reason, it felt like she was intruding on someone’s property, and a sense of wrongness welled up inside of her. But nobody used or was using this room, right? Wasn’t it their subconscious? So why was it bothering her all of a sudden?

A surprised gasp, not a scared gasp, caught her attention. Yep, it was Shuichi. What did he find this time? “Whatcha got over there?”

He didn’t answer. Walking over, she laid her eyes on an open suitcase filled with a pair of guns. But would those be useful against the monsters? Hah, maybe if they really, really believed they did. Maybe that was worth a try.

Running to the entrance, she leaned out of the doorway and whispered, “Get over here.”

“But—”

“No buts, you need to see this.” She pointed at her.

“I need to keep watch.” Maki continued to stare straight at the wall. That insistent tone annoyed her ears. Geez…

Sometimes she was too stubborn for no reason. Himiko sighed. “It’s stuff for you. It’ll only take a second to check.” Wait, since it was technically her “type” of stuff, was that why she was feeling weird earlier? Great, now she was the one being gobsmacked.

“Fine. I’ll go see what it is.”

“Umm… I don’t know if you want it, nyeh. Only you know what to do with it,” Himiko mumbled as they walked over.

Shuichi scratched his head and chuckled. “I… opened it.” But there was a certain hesitation in his voice. 

Himiko sighed, unsure if she should say anything.

Maki stared at the suitcase and pursed her lips for a moment. “Interesting. I’m going to take them out. Don’t touch them.”

Picking up one of the two guns, she said, “This is a Beretta M9. The other is an H&K USP. Pistols usually got the job done.”

Those names were clearly familiar words that she said many times before. But their memories were supposedly fabricated… Maybe it was an effect of the fabrication rather than the other way around. “Do you think they could be useful here?”

“No, but I’ll keep one in case.” Maki placed the guns on the counter and lifted the mold up, revealing a few boxes of ammunition. “I’d rather not have to use them at all.”

* * *

The next two rooms didn’t have anything interesting or helpful in any way. They could take bedsheets and other stuff like that, but it would be way easier if they found the housekeepers’ storage. But as they entered another room, Shuichi swung the door closed as fast as he could without slamming it.

He fell to his knees, yelling at the air. “Outside world! If you’re watching, then help us! Don’t let us suffer in uncertainty any more! Please… I beg of you…”

She exchanged looks with Maki. Was he super stressed? Maybe. That was weird of him, but what had to be swirling in Shuichi’s head were thousands of theories about their situation, and nothing really showed what was true and what was false… but there had to be a way out like before, right?

A sense of intrusive thoughts washed over her mind. What if there was no way out? Were they stuck in another dimension? What if they had to stay here forever with those monsters? What if… No! She couldn’t go back to avoiding reality anymore! Tenko and Angie would surely be disappointed… were they even watching over her...?

“Cut it, you two.”

Her words jerked them out of their thoughts.

“Even if we’re being watched, they probably won’t do anything.” She bit her thumbnail, but immediately put her hand down, as if trying to stop the habit. “I think we should go back to our room. This wandering around isn’t helping our mental states.”

“I… uh… sorry for that, I don’t know what came over me. Well, it was worth a try.”

“Hm, what’s this?” Himiko noticed a large bookcase in the far corner that wasn’t in any of the other rooms they checked. She pulled a book out at random, finding the title, _Birds of the World: An Introductory Field Guide._

A bird with majestic wings and a sharp beak graced the front cover. She actually didn’t know that much about birds, despite doves being one of the most important features of her magic shows. Maybe the bird on the cover was some sort of hawk or falcon.

“Books! That’ll help ease any possible boredom,” Shuichi said, barely concealing his excitement. He reached over and grabbed the first book he saw. “Hey! Is this a joke? It’s a detective novel.”

“Certainly. Should we move over here then?” Maki took a book as well and scanned the summary, but quickly put it back as she blushed.

“If the fridge works the same as that other room, then yeah.” Suppressing a snicker at her cheeks that were as red as her clothes, Himiko made a mental note to sneakily check it out later. Just needed to do the old “conceal the book behind another book” magic technique.

“What’s so funny about birds?”

Oh, snap. She realized that in trying to not laugh, her face had been contorted in some sort of weird grin. Quick, think up a funny bird joke or fact or something. Something! “Umm… I was thinking about how fluffy doves were and how much I want to pet one right now.”

“They’re cute animals, aren’t they?” With that, a hint of a wistful smile appeared. “Back at the orphanage— oh, forget it, it’s not _real_.”

“No! Go on,” Shuichi said as he hefted a stack of books in his hands and dropped them on the table with a heavy thud.

“I don’t—” Maki sighed and crossed her arms, though her gaze grew distant. “I was going to say we couldn’t have pets.”

But with that one word, an atmosphere of uncertainty invaded the room, driving freezing, paralyzing fear into her body. Pure energy ran through her mind, separating themselves into ribbons of discordant thoughts. In truth, they had no identity. They were nothing other than fabrications of that mysterious figure known as Tsumugi Shirogane. She couldn’t even be sure why she liked magic, nor why she clung to it so much. What did it mean to be herself, Himiko?

Her relations with Tenko and Angie were tenuous at best. She’d barely known them for a few weeks, witnessed their brief moments of being, of their feelings, even if she was always sluggish and unresponsive at the time. Yet, they were still significant enough that they influenced her from beyond death.

“...Train your heart by crying, laughing, and venting your anger, Himiko.” The last significant sentence she ever said. She could still hear the bright and cheery tone of her voice.

Then just like that, they were both taken away by that cursed being, their life snuffed out like a puff of air on a candle flame. But it was all fake. Maybe this place was the outside world telling them they were meaningless, that they had nothing except what they gave them. They already had nothing to lose, seeing as their past selves were pathetic enough to sign up for this thing. Wouldn’t they be better off—

“Himiko?” Shuichi’s voice broke through the tangled web of her mind as his worried eyes stared at her.

“I’m not good with comforting people, but I’ll try if you need it. That too goes for you, Shuichi.”

“I’m fine,” she muttered, though she knew it wasn’t true. Her hands had been clutching onto the bird book as if she was afraid it would fly away. Putting it back on the shelf, an idea occurred to her at that moment, though she wanted to laugh at how awkward it was. “A-Actually, can we have a group hug?”

“Why not?” Shuichi said as he rose up from the chair, while Maki nodded, surprisingly.

Himiko found herself wrapped by one each of their arms, though they had to bend down a little bit because she was way too short. Even if Maki agreed, she still seemed a little hesitant, but it was probably just her.

She tightened her own embrace, not wanting to let go yet. Though Maki was the first to pull away, when they released each other, a feeling of contentment flowed over her and she smiled. Shuichi was beaming, though it was soon replaced with a weary expression.

“I’ll run and get our stuff from the other room. Shouldn’t take more than a few seconds,” Maki said, glancing at Shuichi before dashing out the door.

“Thanks.”

Himiko yawned and sank into a sofa, the cushions already making her want to sleep.

“Tired? Me too.” Shuichi sat down next to her. “We should go to bed early today. Which one do you two want to take?”

“We’ll take the one on the right… I think Maki’s gonna be first watch anyway.”

Maki rushed back in and laid their bags on the coffee table. “Seems like both of you are tired. Get some sleep first then. I’ll wake one of you when I start nodding off.”

“I dunno if the shower will work. I’ll go see. Or we can try believing really hard in it, like anything else in this world,” Himiko said.

“Well, we do know the toilet does work.” Shuichi’s and her laughter rang throughout the room, though Maki didn’t seem that amused. She wasn’t the type to laugh easily at anything.

With considerable effort, and reminding her of those fearful school days, she made her way to the bathroom. She gathered everything, although it was a shame they didn’t have a change of clothes. They would have to find some tomorrow or the day after. Turning the shower handle, she breathed a sigh of relief when a spout of water flowed down. And then it turned into warm water too!

The shower always had been her favorite thinking place. Himiko took off her clothes and jumped in, doing the old routine without paying much attention. The gushing water soothed her, though as it ran over the several clotted scrapes and cuts she had half-forgotten about, her thoughts turned inward.

Damn it, magic made her happy, and it would continue to be that way! When she could practice it again to a smiling crowd? Even if the last one ended in tragedy, there was always another one, wasn’t there? She would dedicate every performance to everyone… but it really was hard to not think of _them_ . Seriously, just thinking about _them_ made her depressed, and she couldn’t have that, not when promises were promises!

A thousand curses on Tsumugi for leaving them in this situation. Like, how could a person get out of their mind, if it wasn’t them being messed with? And if they were, why would they do this? To punish them for the end of _Dangan_ -whatever they called it? Maybe they needed to find something really important to all of them, have a journey or something, like in fantasy books. Ugh, everything was unfair, unfair, unfair!

Himiko clenched a fist and shook it up at the ceiling, to the sky, and beyond, hoping if there was anyone there, they would see her defiance, and acknowledge it. Nothing. 

It was only a symbolic gesture— her face grew hot upon the realization that she was still in the shower, and her shoulders slumped as the mental energy faded away. It would have been really awkward if she yelled something and they heard that. Uhh… nope, didn’t want to think about that possibility. She wasn’t in the mood to answer questions at all.

Before she knew it, she’d finished showering. Himiko rubbed her eyes, got dressed, and left the bathroom. Maki was lying on their shared bed, staring up at the ceiling, while Shuichi was getting some reading in.

“Shuichi! Your turn!” Himiko said.

“Okay, give me a minute, I want to finish this part.”

“Are you sure you’re not gonna doze off?” Himiko retrieved her hat and hooked it on the bedpost before sliding in next to her.

“When Shuichi’s done, I’ll get up.”

Her eyelids grew heavy as she sank into the softness of the bed. She wasn’t sure what else to say. 

“Oh. Good night.”

“Night.”

* * *

Opening her eyes, she saw only grey swirling mist, drifting away to reveal her resting on the edge of a dark chasm. Himiko scrambled away to a safer spot, acting on pure instinct. As she took a deep breath, she tried to regain her senses. Her teeth chattered as a breeze blew through the area, trying to push the mist out but failing.

For a brief moment, she thought she saw a wall on her side of the void, but the sea of mist took its place again. Himiko inched along, carefully moving her hand in an attempt to find any semblance of that wall. The stark relief of a weathered statue against a crumbled wall stood out against the mist. She could’ve sworn it looked like someone familiar, but right now her memory was failing her.

Maybe she had something that could help. Himiko rummaged in a pocket, her hand brushing against the smooth wax of a candle. Her hands shook too much to take the lighter to it, so she put it away. Yet, something told her to keep going, despite her fear. Tracing the short way to the entrance, she made out the vague shape of what looked like a shrine. The pieces of a statue, possibly the same as the one near the entrance, lay scattered across the dusty wooden floor. It must’ve stood proudly in its time.

Not seeing anything else of interest, she sighed and left the shrine. Something in the dirt caught her eyes, its surface gleaming. Himiko knelt down and found a nearby stone to dig it out with. Hissing when one of her fingernails jabbed into a pebble, she checked it for a second and kept going. Her fingers stained with the earth, she grasped one of the ends with a little more awkward gouging.

It took a long while, but she excavated the entirety of it. The object had some heft to it, being made of rather sturdy metal. Didn’t she have a handkerchief for magic with her? Himiko cleaned most of the clods of dirt off, though it was still coated in fine grains.

A scepter, just like the one she’d always wanted.

Himiko huffed at it, both in annoyance and to get more dirt off. The scepter was useless if she had no crowd to entertain and no twisted hearts to heal… At best, it was just a piece of junk for now, but she decided to keep it for old time’s sake. Maybe it could become useful later.

When she looked up, her eyes widened as she saw that her surroundings changed. Soft sand pressed into her knees, the hot sun overhead glaring down. The sound of cascading water flooded the area. Still, she kept her back to the deep unknown. Careful to not face it, Himiko got to her feet, clutching the scepter tightly, and stepped towards her place of safety, of refuge. Yet as she went, dampness crept into her shoes. Torn between the two options, she forced herself to choose. The water lapped onto the shore, closer than ever before.

She broke into a run, the surging rise of the waves tumbling into her heart and soul, threatening to engulf it in a grip of frozen fear. No end to the sand came. What had she done to deserve this? All she could do was watch as the shadow of the burning tide roared, almost to its target. Himiko hugged herself and the scepter tight, and shut her eyes. The crushing sea soaked her, leaving her to choke on it. As Himiko sputtered, more water filled her mouth. Bubbles rose up, taking vital oxygen with them. Finally, the depths claimed her, sending black tendrils over her vision, blocking it out. And she breathed her last…?

The academy… again? No, it couldn’t be. It had to be an illusion. Himiko wrung her hands then opened the door to her room. Did she accidentally get enveloped in a regular dream or a daydream again? As she walked out to the dormitory entrance, someone shouted her name. 

When she turned around, she stared straight into Tenko’s smiling face. Himiko screamed and fled. No! Tenko was dead! No way, no way she could be alive! She had to be a hallucination! She saw her lifeless body with her own eyes… oh Tenko, why did she have to protect her with her own life… another victim… again? Angie…

Sure that no one was following her, Himiko slowed down, finding herself in a quiet part outside the buildings of the overgrown school. Her mind decided to remember Tenko, like when they used to go to breakfast together in the mornings. Yeah! That had to be it!

Wait a minute. Now that nothing was catching her attention, sending her into danger, or encasing her in a net of desperate fear, she could think and breathe a little. After discovering the scepter, she was teleported somewhere new, and that wave did overcome her, but she still ended up in a different location.

She was with Maki and Shuichi, right? How did she get over there? She didn’t get up from her bed in the dormitory room, either. The last thing Himiko remembered that included them was getting into bed, at the abandoned hotel. So, if Shuichi was in this situation, what would he do? He’d probably try to set out all of the events and see their links through logic… but she didn’t know how to do that. Maybe just chalk everything up to a dream, and don’t worry about it for now, she guessed.

The next time she blinked, that sovereign scene slipped away. Now she woke, confused, under the shadow of a blooming cherry tree. Petals fluttered through the air, circling and circling until they landed on the ground. A few fell on her face as she regained her senses. Himiko stood up, wondering where she was now. In the distance, she gazed upon a sitting figure in the grass facing away from her. Who…?

Himiko sprinted over, though her breathing quickly ran ragged. Gasping, she choked out, “Shuichi?”

She leaped into a hug from behind, but forgot about the landing, bowling him over on the ground. He looked at her in disbelief once they recovered. “Himiko…is that you? How… are you here? Why… are we here?”


	3. Strangers to a Strange Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More exploring of this new dream world.

One moment, Shuichi stood in a city squirming with shadows; the next having the comfort of friends by his side, and finally the latest development: getting transported to random locations, never knowing how it would turn out. Well, he had figured the last item was a dream from the start, but what did that mean? Now, he sat in the grass, staring out at the field of traditional beauty, but something else distracted him. A thousand questions flooded his mind and there was no answer to any of them. For all his experience, Shuichi still felt none the wiser. The thing he wanted most? Stability.

It was just an intrusive thought, but at least the killing game was predictable in its unpredictability. It made sense in a nonsensical way, and there were rules even if they were broken later on. Stop. There was no need to dwell on those circumstances. Perhaps he should enjoy this atmosphere while he had the time to.

A shout rose up from behind him, but he didn’t realize it was Himiko until they tumbled over each other. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, though it soon turned to confusion again. Thoughts spilled from his mouth. How could Himiko be here? Was she a figment of his imagination? Why were they here?

“Guess what! I’m in your dream, and you’re in mine! While it isn’t that believable, you’ll believe it when we wake up!”

“Where did you get that thing?”

“Nyeh, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, I promise. Let’s rest here for a while, even if it’s a dream! There’s no need to take on any more stress yet.”

“You’re right. Although if Maki wakes one of us up, then that person will be left alone for a time.”

Himiko sighed after hearing that. “I, the legendary mage, was alone for a long while. It was a big pain.”

“Well, let’s lie in the grass then.” Shuichi laid down, enjoying the bright sunshine and soft grass, choosing to not press the matter further.

“There’s a lot of mana in the air. I wanna absorb all of it.” Himiko did the same, except in a spread-eagle position.

* * *

“This scepter was buried under the dirt near the shrine and I dug it up. Then, the dream took me to a beach and the waves drowned me.” Himiko shivered as she recounted her journey. “I blacked out, landed in the academy again… and realized it was a dream.”

A chasm, a shrine, the scepter, a beach, the academy… she was leaving something out. That pause told him as much. “I know there’s a bit more to the story. Would you mind telling me what it was?”

“Um, I’d rather not…”

It might be something referring to Tenko and Angie, as those two affected her the most. Who else would she find in the dream academy anyway? “Did you see _ them _ ?”

“As always, Shuichi, your intuition is a little too good. I don’t wanna say any more than that.” 

“Okay. Well, I started in a dark sewer and managed to get out of it with the help of a pack of matches. The place above wasn’t a city. It was the old trial ground.”

“There weren’t any fun parts in our dreams, huh?”

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Then, just like that, it disappeared and I found myself in a random forest trail. It was beautiful, well, I mean the red leaves falling around me. But when I followed the trail, it ended abruptly. I kept going because I didn’t know what to do. Eventually, I crossed into a dead part of the forest. I thought it was because of a forest fire, but then I saw falling snow. That was when I knew it was a dream, because it can’t be two seasons at the same time in the same forest.

“You had an easier time than I did. It’s all unpredictable anyway, so I can’t blame you.”

“Hey, have you tried taking control of your dreams? I heard it’s called lucid dreaming.” He wanted to bring this up, especially if it was connected to the nature of the world they were currently in.

“Yeah! It’s high-level magic, but I haven’t practiced it much, so I’m rusty. That’s cuz it doesn’t bring smiles to people. But a mage needs to have knowledge of as many spells and techniques they can, otherwise they’ll get stuck in a rut.”

Wouldn’t it be more connected with psychology? “Wait, how is it connected to magic?”

“Dreams are the source of all magic. It’s how we get the ideas to transform the unbelievable into the believable. But it’s a dangerous place to stay in. Like, the answers might not be clear and you’ll keep searching for them at the expense of everything else. I would know, I almost lost my emotions doing that…” A sorrowful look appeared in her eyes.

The council was an entire mess, but he couldn’t blame them too much… while they had good intentions, their actions were questionable. Nobody expected what would happen. But they needed to focus on the present. At this point, anything would help figure out this place. “Do you remember the technique for doing it? Could you teach me? It’ll be useful for our investigation, I think.”

Himiko sat up and smirked. “Heh, I see. So you want to skip to the most complex branch on the tree. There’s something called taking one step at a time, you know. It’s very important in magic.”

“Uhm—”

She raised a finger and pointed it at him. “I’m willing to teach you, but you gotta be careful when you do it. Otherwise, you’ll get sucked in and never want to leave the dream world. We’re already gotten past the first step, which is really, really good!”

“What was the first step though?”

“Realizing that this is a dream, of course! It takes a different amount of time for everyone to realize every time they dream though. One might never realize it at all! Even I, the great Himiko, took a while to grasp it today.”

He pulled at the grass on the ground, keeping his hands busy. “Is there anything that affects how long then?”

“There’s something called a reality check, where you try doing little impossible things, but if you actually do it, then it’s a dream. But for first-timers, they don’t know about that… The next step is to stay in the dream. Then you gotta concentrate on what you wanna do, and will it into the dream. Some people can’t do that, they can only watch what happens in the dream.”

He held his breath, stared at the blades of grass, then closed his eyes. Directing all manner of attention he could muster inward, he willed himself to float off the ground. It seemed like an eternity, but nothing happened. Shuichi let out the breath. Was he one of those “lucky few” then?

“Don’t get troubled about it now. What I’m worried about is whether I can meet with Maki or you in another dream. If that doesn’t happen, then all this will be for naught.”

“Given that the world outside might have a link, it should be easier. Hey, want to take a walk?”

“We should. Let’s see how large this place is, after all, we can’t get tired!”

A pang of sorrow wormed its way through him. How long had it been since any of them went to a traditional flower viewing?

* * *

They stopped at the edge of a cliff, the salty sea air rustling their clothes. Shuichi breathed it all in, not realizing how much he had missed it.

Himiko winced. “I… feel weird. It’s like I’m supposed to be afraid, but I’m not because I know this is a dream. So I’m getting torn between the two. You know what, I’ll try manipulating it.”

Shuichi watched as she took deep breaths and closed her eyes, just as he did before. It reminded him of the student council, and those times, yet… Before he knew it, the scene in front of him blurred and shifted. He stared, open-mouthed at the scene in front of him.

They now stood at a small pond filled with lily pads and their pink and white flowers. Several fish swam around in it, their scales glistening from the sunlight as a frog croaked and jumped into the water, making a splash. Instead of releasing immediately like he expected her to, she continued to hold the pose for a few minutes until she seemed like she was satisfied.

“After my failure, I had a bit of a skeptical attitude towards it.” Shuichi squatted down and peered closely at the pond. A dragonfly buzzed past his ear, startling him. “Ah! Oh, just a dragonfly. Could you tell me what I did wrong, then?”

“The pond might look okay to me, but I dunno if it does to you. I think you went about it the wrong way. Like, you gotta have the original image, then you gotta change that image. If you just think directly about what you wanna change, then it’s not gonna work. Why do I feel like Angie all of a sudden?”

“Maybe because you’re talking about fantastical things that wouldn’t make sense in any other context unless I believe in it. Here you’re all about dreams, while Angie was all about God.”

“It… makes me feel like I’m taking after her. I’m grateful to her for trying to comfort me at the time, but I don’t want to be like her… Angie wasn’t the best person to be around, now that I look back on it.”

He shrugged. “She had good intentions in mind, it was just the way she went about it… But at the same time, I wonder if pairing people up so he couldn’t prepare the traps would’ve prevented her murder.”

“If you don’t mind, I really don’t want to talk about that.” A turtle poked its head out of the water and yawned. “Cute!”

“Sorry! You’re right, there’s no use to speculating like that. Let’s drop the topic then.”

“Shuichi, you gotta stop being so serious all the time. Watch the turtles with me! I wish I could feed them, but I don’t have any food right now.”

“Umm, I can’t help it, that’s how I am. Since it’s a dream, can’t you just conjure up something?”

“Oh! I didn’t realize that. What do turtles like to eat? Hmm…fish?”

“Maybe— I read in a book that they usually eat fruits and vegetables. I think they’re herbivores or omnivores.”

“I’ll conjure up a variety then!” Himiko concentrated again and wound up having a basketful of fruits and vegetables. “No fish, I don’t wanna have a fishy smell on my hands. Wanna help me feed them?”

“Sure.” He took a few strawberries and placed them on the ground near the water, not really sure how to feed them. Some turtles swam up, probably curious as to what he was doing. One climbed up and grabbed a strawberry before scampering back into the water. The rest did the same, though a turtle returned for another round, now supplied by Himiko. It plowed past the other turtle like a tank, finally reaching its goal: munching on a grape.

“Hey, be nice!” she said to the turtle.

Shuichi laughed as he put more grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries on the ground for them.

* * *

“Can I ask you about something?” Himiko asked.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Does it bother you that we’re in a shared dream? Cuz it reminds me way too much of the Neo World Program…”

“Now that I think about it, it does… But that was virtual reality, right?”

“I can’t help but feel like we’re supposed to investigate this place’s connection to the real world, and that we’re wasting time here. And look at what that got us into back then.” She hesitated for a moment, drumming her fingers on the scepter. “At the same time, I want to relax and not worry, y’know?”

“I mean, this time it’s involuntary. We can’t not sleep. Sharing a dream is certainly abnormal and usually impossible. It’s probably a product of the outside world in a way… Besides, time you enjoy wasting isn’t wasted time. I’m pretty sure that’s how the proverb goes, and—”

Himiko blinked out of his sight, leaving no trace behind except for the empty basket. It was inevitable. He sighed, knowing the last but most important part of his words was going to be left unsaid.

Just because it’s a dream, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an impact on the real world. A dream could be another kind of truth. People also have gained inspiration or new perspectives from having a dream. It’s like fiction.

Though it was probably better to leave out that last sentence.

Even so, he clutched at his heart and grimaced.

Shuichi put his hand down and paced around. The lonely sound of his own footsteps pushing down on the dirt, the crunch of grit reminding he was here and not anywhere else, prevented sadness from creeping into his mind for now… there was enough negativity and grief in that ordeal for a lifetime.

Isn’t everybody both fictional and real in somebody’s world? Then there’s no reason to worry about it.

Now all he had to do was wait for Maki… if she could even come.

* * *

A weak smile tugged on the edges of Shuichi’s mouth as he found his surroundings shifting again. Where was the dream taking him now? But the smile disappeared as quickly as it had come; there was no sign of her among the flowering landscape. Still, this place seemed familiar for no reason.

His shoes scraped against the stones on the bridge as he leaned over the wall and put his arms down on it, studying the gentle rush of the river. The water dashed itself against the rocks in a never-ending cycle, attempting to wear them down.

“What are  _ you _ doing here?”

Those words startled him, though of course, he knew that voice. Relief flowed over him, but there now was a dangerous path he must tread. How would he convince her? Her skeptical and hardened nature ensured he would have a tough time.

“If you’re going to become a monster and chase me, then do it already.”

Shuichi looked up to find Maki staring at him from the end of the bridge, her hands fidgeting with her hair. It seemed like she was about to run at any moment, judging from her slightly turned stance and hostile attitude. He considered his words carefully, but a burst of inspiration and confidence empowered him.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“I’m no monster.” He held his hands up. “This is going to sound weird, but I’m going to reintroduce myself even though you know who I am. I’m Shuichi Saihara, a detective. I’m here to present the truth of this place. Well, what I think it is.”

Confusion and anguish flashed over Maki’s face as she crossed her arms. “I-I’m not sure how to react right now, but we can talk from this distance.”

“It’ll make more sense when we wake up. That’s not something a dream person would say, right?”

“I can’t tell if it’s really you, but whatever. Go on, tell me the logic of it. I’ll probably forget by morning anyway.”

“That’s not encouraging… Anyway, this place is a shared dream, however, Himiko and I met at a different location after a journey… of sorts. We think there are clues here that could point towards the truth of the waking world around us. Basically, they’re connected. I have nothing more to say.”

“You don’t seem threatening, so I  _ could _ trust your dream self. I’ll come closer, but I’m staying cautious.” A scoff escaped from her as she walked over the bridge and stopped a decent length away from him.

“I understand. We started out alone— you too?”

“Yes, but maybe no. I was watching you from a tree for five minutes.”

“Your skill still applies even in a dream, huh? I didn’t notice you at all.”

There was a hint of a smirk on her face, but it too disappeared as quickly as his smile had earlier. “I remember a snippet or two, but otherwise there’s nothing. You suddenly appeared there, so I haven’t had time to mull over them.”

“Maybe Himiko can help with that after her watch ends. Assuming she can sleep and come back to the dream. At least this is better than having actual nightmares from… you know.”

“Her? How?” She came closer to him. “This way we’re not awkwardly yelling at each other.”

“She might know more about how this place works than we do. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of lucid dreaming, and I’m going to sound crazy, but Himiko changed the ocean into a pond.”

“At this point, I’m not sure what the threshold for crazy is. I don’t care anymore. I just want the exit to this stupid disorienting place so that we can get out.”

“We need to work together to make that happen.”

The glare meant she obviously knew that.

* * *

Shuichi relayed every last detail of their strange adventures to her, though most of the time she displayed no major reaction, only a grumpy expression, and an eye roll every few sentences or so. Neither did she comment on anything, until the end.

“So that was why I found Himiko clutching that thing, and when I woke her up, she told me good luck for no apparent reason. But, can we be sure that it isn’t like those prizes Monokuma used to give?”

“I don’t know… Wait, you’re telling me her scepter made it into, erm, the waking world?”

“I see why investigating here is important now. But I’m concerned whether we’ll get rest.”

“I think we will. The mind doesn’t shut down during sleep, as you can see.”

She pursed her lips. “I haven’t had dreams for a long time. Or I just don’t remember them. The only memories I have are waking up terrified during my training and… never mind. This is the first since then.”

“Well, let’s take it slow.” Shuichi looked at the shining sun and blue sky far above, filled with thin, trailing clouds, so unlike the one outside their refuge. Its normal aura calmed him down, even if it was a dream. “I wonder if time passes here, in the sense of day and night.”

“I don’t think we’ll be staying long enough to find out. Why? Does it matter?”

“No, just a random thought.”

“Stop being so cryptic.”

To that, he offered no reply, and instead hiked down to the river’s edge and sat down among the reeds. Maki watched him as he went. After some length of time, she came over and curled up beside him, chin resting on her knees. They didn’t speak for a while.

He concentrated on the tip of a reed, aiming for a minor change, maybe a flower, just as Himiko instructed him to. A small victory! Though not exactly the type of flower he had been imagining... he would ask about that later.

“It’s nice to feel bored… I’ve said this before, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, doing nothing and enjoying the landscape is pretty nice.”

Maki laughed. Was that the first time he heard it? Or the second time? Probably shouldn’t mention it to her, though. “There’s a lot to be afraid of, but with you and Himiko here I think I could get through it easily.”

“Himiko told me I was too serious, but I think you’re more serious than me.”

“It’s what I’m used to discussing. Business as usual or not, I never had much time to spend on frivolous things.”

“And that’s why you value the small moments.”

“Yes. But there comes a time when important things have to be done. Like now.”

“Wait, what?”

Maki stood up, dusting her hands off. “You heard me. I’ve searched through this part of the woods, but there’s a certain place I haven’t gone to yet. It was actually on your side of the bridge. I don’t know how you didn’t see it. I even watched you turn around.”

He looked up and found a building looming over the trees, and nervously chuckled. “Oh. It was more like I was looking for you… but I thought you would show up eventually. Lead the way, I guess.”

“Hmph.”

Down they went on the stone path covered with fallen trees, lichens, and mosses sprouting out of the bark in patches. The smell of fresh earth and sap filled the air. Shadows danced under the shade created by their forebears and successors, as the sun shone through the gaps of their foliage.

They climbed over the fallen trees, though his hands became stained with dirt. With a little focus, it faded away, as if it had never been there. Should he tell Maki to try this ability? She hated occult stuff, but would she be more receptive in this circumstance? Or should he leave it up to Himiko? From his reading, it was normal enough to change the dream’s environment at their discretion, but that was just about all he knew about the subject, aside from what Himiko told him.

The broken outline of sloped and decaying walls came into view. These resembled the ones used as castle walls a long time ago, but he wasn’t sure what that kind of design was doing here.

“These are going to be hard to climb… and it doesn’t look too safe either,” Maki said as they walked around them. A pair of wooden doors blocked the way. She pulled on the handles, but a lack of movement halted her efforts. Pushing didn’t do it either. “Darn it. Help me out. If we still can’t do it, then we’re climbing.”

“Wait, this shouldn’t be a problem. Hmm… ” Should he try the ability on the doors or themselves? The former might be easier. He pictured the doors, imagined they disappeared, and found them nonexistent upon opening his eyes. The other thing he found was Maki’s disbelief. 

“You just did that… How?”

“It’s a variation of Himiko’s technique. All you need to do is concentrate, and imagine the change of the object in your mind. She did say it could vary from person to person though. It did for me.”

“It’s… stupid, and I don’t want any part of it. I’ll try it, just once. Don’t laugh at me, unless you want to die.”

“I promise I won’t. If it doesn’t work at first, don’t worry about it.”

Maki closed her eyes, and did as he instructed, though after a while it was clear she was getting frustrated. Her jaw clenched and one of her hands curled into a fist. She opened her eyes and made an annoyed noise. “It’s no use. I don’t really know how to make the image stay. It always becomes something else.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Get a source of light. It might be dark. You know those portable searchlights?”

“Can’t we just change it so that any dark place lights up? Dreams don’t exactly have limits.”

She sighed and frowned. “Then my imagination’s too limited. I don’t really understand that sort of thing, so I’ll leave it to you two. Meanwhile, when I make a plan, it’s strict. I know how it works.”

“Uhh, okay. If we come up against obstacles that Himiko and I can’t get past, then you could help with your more practical knowledge. We probably can’t change everything yet.”

“That’ll depend. I can’t do that if you’re going to be breaking all rationality every five minutes.”

“Anyway, we’ll see.” He stepped forward, searching for the actual door to the building. However, all he could see was the wooden wall of it. “Hmm, it’s definitely not there.”

“Found it. I don’t think there are any traps in place.” Maki pointed at a door hidden by overgrown brush. She opened it and waved at him impatiently. “It’s your time to shine.”

“Alright.” Was that pun intended? Shuichi shrugged it off and illuminated the room. “This seems like one of those log cabins you would find in western countries. I’ve never been to one, only saw pictures.”

The cabin was quite austere. A solitary bed was shoved to one corner, while a wooden desk and chair faced a dirty window. There was a tiny fireplace at the end of the room. Above the fireplace, two rows of shelves contained a small selection of books, but upon closer inspection, there were no words, only gibberish.

“I’m pretty sure every major structure we’ve seen is in disrepair, except the bridge. I wonder if that’s a sign… It’s kind of funny how the wall outside is eastern style, but the central building is western style.” He heard the sound of a zipper behind him as he checked under the bed. Nothing there, although he thought there would be dust bunnies, but given the nature of this place… maybe it was foolish to think that.

“This again? I don’t appreciate being reminded of him everywhere I go,” Maki said. “Why is it here? Actually, I think it would be reasonable to find it here.”

Shuichi looked over. “Ah! A telescope.”

“Yes. That’s what it is. But I’m wondering if it being here is important.”

“Himiko’s scepter appeared in the waking world, right? So maybe objects we get from here will appear there.”

“Why do you keep calling it the waking world? That phrase sounds weird to me.” Maki combed through her hair with her fingers.

“Uhh, well, we know it’s not the real world, so what do you want me to call it? Would the conscious world be better even if it’s not accurate?”

“Forget that I asked then. Let’s take the bag with us. You didn’t find anything of interest?”

He sighed. “No, those books were the usual nonsense. Since the desk and the space under the bed were empty too… I’m starting to think only very specific objects appear to us.”

“I checked for hidden compartments and turned up nothing as well, so you  _ could _ be right. Besides, it’s your shift up next right? To test that out, you should be the one to carry it. It’s not that heavy.”

They left the cabin, but the duffel bag kept getting caught in the thicket surrounding the door. With a flick of her wrist, Maki threw the last burr on the ground and dusted her hands off.

A telltale sign appeared in the corner of his vision, signifying a change of scenery. Why now? But it wasn’t like he could prevent it, so he let the cloud of darkness take him and his sight. It hadn’t landed him in a dangerous situation… yet. Or, was this waking up? The last thing he heard was her surprised mutter.

“That quick?”


End file.
